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SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW
Tonight's show has that "big night" feel around it, and with just six days to go until Unforgiven, we can expect the rest of the card to come together.
We open up with a triple-threat match as Lance Cade takes on La Resistance's Rob Conway and William Regal. Short and sweet match that sees everyone get in their spots. Cade takes Conway out of the match with a huracanrana only to walk into the Power of the Punch for a Regal victory.
Up next, five of the top tag teams on RAW enter into a ten-man battle royal. The winner of the match earns a WWE Tag Team Title match against the Ministry Monsters next week on RAW. Shortly after the match starts, Chuck Palumbo eliminated Fred Williams. Rene Dupree takes out Lance Storm next, followed by Sylvan Grenier taking out Shawn Stasiak. Dupree is next to go, courtesy of Palumbo. The remaining six men go at it for quite a long time until Tom Howard gets dumped out by Palumbo, meaning Fred 'n' Tom are the first duo completely eliminated from the match. Grenier eliminates Johnny Stamboli next, only to get taken out by Tommy Dreamer, and that's it for La Resistance. Now it's Dreamer against two members of the Natural Born Ministry. He manages to overcome the odds, taking out both Mark Jindrak and Palumbo to win the battle royal and earn the ECW Originals a title shot next week!
Storm returns to the ring to celebrate the victory, only for Big Show and Kane to hit the ring. They lay the challengers out and walk off.
I accidentally double-clicked past the next match, but Damien and Undertaker beat the World's Greatest Tag Team after Randy Orton hit the ring to lay out Shelton Benjamin.
Backstage, a limo pulls into the garage. The door opens and out steps WWE Chairman Vince McMahon! JR and Dave Prazak flip out. What is Vince doing on RAW?
Two of the most exciting superstars in the world are up next as Rob Van Dam takes on Chris Jericho! These two put on a solid match that is unfortunately marred by United States Champion Chris Benoit assaulting RVD and clamping on the Crippler Crossface behind the ref's back. Jericho picks up the cheap win, then the former tag champs go to work on RVD until Rhyno hits the ring and drives them off.
Over the last four weeks, 25 RAW superstars have attempted to earn a World Title match at Unforgiven, only to fall by the wayside. The two remaining contenders now face off in the finals of the month-long tournament. It's Benoit versus the tournament's "Cinderella" story, A-Train! As Benoit seems prepared to put Train away, Rob Van Dam hits the ring with a chair looking for revenge. He catches Benoit by surprise with a Van Daminator while the ref's back is turned, allowing Train to hit the Train Wreck for the upset win!
Eric Bischoff appears on the Titantron and announces that, unlikely though it seems, the World Title match at Unforgiven will pit the champion Sean O'Haire against the tournament winner... A-Train!
Furthermore, as a result of what has happened tonight, Chris Benoit will defend the United States Championship against Rob Van Dam at Unforgiven!
And now for our main event, World Champion Sean O'Haire takes on Rhyno in a non-title match! These two have a great chemistry in the ring, and they once again put on a tremendous match. Chris Jericho has apparently not forgotten Rhyno's involvement earlier in his match with RVD, and he makes his presence felt, blasting Rhyno with a chairshot, allowing O'Haire to hit the Prophecy and pick up the win. After the match, Jericho continues to pummel Rhyno with the chair. These two may very well steal the show at Unforgiven... if Rhyno can even make it!
After the match, "No Chance In Hell" hits the speakers and Vince McMahon does the Vince Walk down the ramp and into the ring, where a microphone is waiting. "I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last several months, and done a lot of soul searching. I've spoken at length with my legal advisors, my financial advisors, and my family. It's been three years since I completely vanquished the only competition I've ever truly faced, and criticisms over the product becoming stale since then has hit me hard. Quite frankly, they're probably right. I've done everything I've ever wanted as head of this company, and now... what do I have to shoot for? What possible goals could I have left? Truth be told, I have none. There is literally nothing left for me to do with myself and as the chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment that I haven't already done. And the last thing I'd want to do is repeat myself and give the critics more ammunition. And so, I am announcing tonight that next week will be my last RAW as the head of World Wrestling Entertainment. I am officially stepping down and handing off the reins to the only man who I truly trust to lead this company wherever the future will lead it. Trust me, you don't want to miss RAW next week." He concludes with a shameless plug for Unforgiven and RAW fades to black.
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